His eyes narrowed, and he whirled with a snarl on his lips. A hint of fangs made him appear all the more menacing. “He’s putting his life and the safety of the pack in danger…all for you.” He crept closer, and it was all she could do not to back down. “And you can’t bring yourself to walk in that room to stand by his side?”
Okay, she officially felt lower than dirt. “You don’t understand.”
He stepped away as if he smelled something bad. “I think I do.”
When he turned and walked away, a lump formed in her throat. If he left, his suspicions would poison her stay and gone would be the last peace she’d had in weeks. She might as well leave now.
Desperation gathered in her gut like a burn. “Do you know what started the Blood Wars?”
He glanced at her over his shoulder, but at least he’d stopped. “It was a disagreement where neither the witches, wolves nor vampires would back down from confrontation.”
“It erupted over a woman.”
The man snorted and crossed his arms. “Is that what they teach the witches, some romanticized fairy tale bullshit?”
“There was nothing romantic before or after the war.” Trina bit her lip, half ready to shut her mouth, but she couldn’t. She needed the safety of the Den. “The witches taught me nothing. By the age of ten, I was sent away after a vampire attack left my parents dead.”
An attack that should’ve been prevented had the pack done a better job of protecting the borders. Some of the cockiness melted away from his posture, and his gaze dropped to her shoulder. She resisted the urge to rub the scar as it throbbed in remembrance.
“If I know one thing, it’s research. There was no love for the woman on any side. They called her a scepter, but she was a pawn. Do you know why?” She didn’t wait for him to answer, but stalked toward him. “Because the one who controlled her would rule all.”
Something hard settled on his features, and he swore with such viciousness she flinched.
“So tell me, shifter, what would happen if the witches or the vampires search for this scepter and find it first? Do you think the vampires will want to make friends?” She circled around him. “Or do you think the witches will treat you any better if they stumble upon the scepter first?”
He looked as if she’d rammed a hot poker down his throat as understanding dawned. She paused in front of him, drained at finally admitting the truth to someone else. Too bad she didn’t feel any better. They both knew what her fate would ultimately be. She was too valuable to be left to her own devices. She spoke softly, “If you ask it of me, I will help your Leo.”
Like a soldier, he faced forward at attention, his eyes on her. “The Leo doesn’t know, does he?”
Trina shook her head. “No, and you can’t tell him. I need to leave if they come for me. I won’t have him or the pack fall because of me. It’s my only condition to my offer.”
“I won’t lie to him. If he asks me directly, I will tell him.” He looked pissed enough to chew her up and spit her out. “But if war is coming, we need our Leo now more than ever.”
And she was their best bet to keep him safe. “Even if your decision could be the start of that war?”
He shook his head, his anger mellowing only a little. Now he only looked resigned. “If the witches and vampires are already searching for the scepter then war will be coming either way, whether they find you or not.”
Dread speared through her chest, but he was right. No matter what direction she jumped, all the options she calculated led to war. If the shifters fell, nothing would hold back the vampires from sweeping through the world. The least she could do was make sure that the shifters had a fair shot at survival. Even though she didn’t fully trust Victor’s motives, her stomach hurt to think about a world without Merrick in it.
Chapter Twelve
“Take a deep breath.”
Trina sucked in air, unaware she’d been holding it. Victor gave her a quick look, and damn his mangy hide, she saw amusement in his expression.
“And beware of Judith.”
Beware of Judith? What the hell did that mean? Before Trina could protest that she’d changed her mind, Victor flung open the door to the office and gave her a healthy shove to get her moving. She nearly stumbled over her own feet as momentum moved her past the doorframe.
Silence descended when they entered. Unable to prevent herself, her gaze landed on Merrick, and she winced.
Oh, yeah, she was going to pay for this in more ways than one.
He rose to his feet slowly. Yes, he was in pain, but she had a feeling that his brutal grip on the desk was to prevent himself from leaping across it to get to her.
“What did you find?”
Victor gave her a subtle nod, and she took her cue from him. “Without doing a full autopsy, I can only give you my best supposition.”
Leo was still glaring, but he did resume his seat, silently granting permission for her to continue.
“She was killed by a shifter.”
The silence was now deafening. She observed the occupants of the room. Not surprisingly, all of them were shifters. She wondered if she should’ve soft-coated her observation.
A couple of the men looked vaguely familiar, but it was the odd groupings that caught her attention. The majority were either strategically seated around Merrick’s desk or gathered around a woman dressed a little too formally for early morning.
When Trina raised her focus, the woman’s gaze had latched onto hers. There was curiosity there, but also a heavy dose of superiority. She’d bet her last remaining possessions that she was the infamous Judith.
“Come.” Trina turned to see Merrick hold a hand out toward her.
A trickle of relief eased the muscles of her stomach, and she gratefully crossed the room to him, conscious of all the attention when she accepted his hand.
After he guided her around the desk, she expected him to let her loose. Instead, he pulled her so close she practically landed on his lap.
Her face heated, his nearness flustering her more than the room full of shifters. How was that fair he could turn her to mush by just breathing, and he remained so unaffected.
Okay, so maybe she was no goddess, but no woman liked to think the man she found irresistible could so completely shut her out.
When he absently toyed with her fingers, she wanted to jerk her hand away but forced herself to keep up pretenses.
She would just ignore him.
Well, as much as it was possible to ignore a two hundred pound cat pawing at her hand.
Gathering as much composure as she could muster, she lifted her chin and faced the room. Curiosity lined the faces of most of the shifters. All but the woman, who practically bristled, her gaze latched on the hand that Merrick had refused to release.
“What is the meaning of this? This is a private discussion for the pack. First you arrived late and then you invite this person. Explain.”
Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for clues to see if they should bolt or prepare to rumble. Merrick’s grip tightened on hers infinitesimally. Tension in the room increased to a razor’s edge until it pressed heavily on her chest. Nervous energy danced across her skin, and her magic slowly rose at her unease, burning along her veins. The air in the room grew thin as a new panic threatened to consume her.
She couldn’t lose control, especially in front of Merrick. She needed everyone calm and focused on something else. Nor could she prevent herself from defending Merrick. She reasoned that he was her only protection.
She needed him.
She refused to believe it could be anything else. It could never come to anything.
“Of course he’s tired after the workout last night.”
Dead silence.
Then one man snickered, only to be quickly cut off.
She mentally replayed her words and could’ve kicked herself. When she got nervous, she babbled. When she would’ve spoken again, Merrick squeezed her hand, and she reluctantl
y shut her mouth, rolling her eyes.
Men.
She’d make him suffer for it in tomorrow’s workout.
Merrick lifted her hand to his mouth, and her a heart did a pathetic little pitter-patter. The touch of his lips lingered against her skin, and she felt herself shuffling closer, silently urging him to explore more.
When she looked up, it was to find his gaze locked on hers, the heat there so intimate desire tugged at her body. A slight smile curled his lips as if he knew of her craving for him.
Then his gaze turned toward the woman who’d issued the challenge. “I’d like you to meet my concubine.”
Part of the heat washed out of her at his words and the realization that it was all an act.
One that she’d almost let herself believe.
She tugged her hand back, but his grip tightened, his finger brushing against the underside of her wrist. The forced intimacy should’ve irritated her, but she couldn’t convince her body of the fact.
“Your what?”
Trina’s gaze snapped up to see the woman stand and the rest of her entourage following suit.
This time, when Merrick drew her closer, she didn’t protest.
“You turned me down for this…” She waved her arm, her attention completely on Merrick as if Trina were beneath her notice, “…human?”
“The choice is mine.”
The female looked mad enough to shift and rip her apart. Part of Trina’s mind wondered what had gone on between the two of them that she’d react so strongly.
“Unacceptable.” The woman scanned her from head to toe, not leaving any spot uninspected…and clearly found her lacking. “She’s unsuitable, especially when you’ve rejected others who are more eligible. I want a vote called to get her removed.”
Trina didn’t know what a vote entailed, but it didn’t sound good.
“It’s an alpha’s choice.”
The she-wolf pursed her lips. “And I’m an alpha who is challenging your decision.”
Trina shook her head, unable to keep quiet any longer. “So let me get this straight. A pack member has been killed, and you’re more worried about who the Leo is sleeping with than the protection of your pack?”
The glacial blue eyes that met hers must look stunning in her wolf form. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“You’re damned right. If it were my job to protect my pack, my first concern would be catching the killer. A killer who is a shifter. One you might be living with.”
Judith brushed at the shoulder of her outfit as if removing a piece of lint. “I don’t have to search. I know who killed her.”
Cold suspicions snaked around her ankles, and Trina could guess the answer with one try. “Who?”
The woman peered up from her shoulder, a smirk playing about her lips, more smug than humorous. “I did.”
Trina shook her head. “And you didn’t think that we needed her alive to find out who’d hired her?” She paused when a second realization followed up. “Unless you already know.”
The smile vanished, and Judith stalked forward. “If you have an accusation, say it.”
Trina’s magic itched along her skin as if readying itself to protect her. Judith might be the big bad wolf, but it was the release of her magic that frightened the piss out of her.
Merrick took that moment to stand. “Enough.”
The she-wolf glared, and although she didn’t retreat, she dialed down the aggression. Gratitude trickled through Trina. She’d brought enough attention to herself. The last thing she needed to do was to have her magic exposed to the group.
“Now that you’ve called your little pet to heel, I want to call a vote to have her removed from the position.”
A lot more was going on than what Trina sensed. Real hatred poured off the wolf. If she had to guess, Trina bet the term ‘bitch’ had been coined for her. If she stayed in the Den, she’d have to watch her back. This woman would do everything possible to make her life hell.
So she was damned if she did and damned if she didn’t.
At least with the pack, she had a shot at survival.
Well…until the vampires closed in on her.
Or the witches.
Merrick’s jaw hardened as if he had been asked to chew glass. “Fine. I’ll call the assembly.”
He turned away when Judith spoke. “I want one called now.” The accusation was as blatant as if she accused him of cheating.
“Fine. Thirty minutes.” Merrick glared at Judith, his eyes completely yellow. “You can take your dogs and wait outside until then.”
Judith inhaled sharply then glared at Trina as if blaming her, before she whirled and departed.
Victor approached Merrick. “We—”
“Get out.”
Everyone snapped to attention at the roar and scrambled out of the room, unable to hustle out of there fast enough. Not wanting to be left behind with the beast dancing so close to the surface, Trina hurried around the desk and followed.
“Not you.” He stepped in her way so quickly she nearly slammed into him. He crossed his arms, and she was surprised that there was still air in the room to breathe the way his chest puffed up. “What the hell were you thinking of coming in here? How is that keeping a low profile?”
“You needed to know my findings—”
“Which you could have passed to Victor.” He shook his head and advanced. “No, you came in this room for a reason. You came in knowing you were putting yourself in danger. There had better be a damned good reason.”
Trina found her ass pressed against the desk. Funny, she didn’t even remember moving. When she would’ve scooted around him, he leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of her hips until her butt perched precariously on the edge. It was that or have his nose smashed up against her boobs, a little too close for comfort in his current mood.
His nearness jumbled with her thinking. His wild musk reminded her of the naughty dream that’d left her all hot and bothered and did nothing to restore her fine motor functions.
He inched closer, his face next to hers when he inhaled. Then he brushed his cheek against hers. Her stomach flip-flopped wildly.
“Tell me.”
“Judith killed that woman before we could talk to her. That wolf was the one who’d attacked us. She was following orders and my guess is whoever told her to do it wanted you dead.” She eased back to see his face until she was nearly sprawled on the desk. “Chances are they might have even shot you.”
Merrick straightened abruptly, all softness on his face gone. “You came to protect me.”
He sounded outraged, and she lowered her feet to the floor, not sure why he found her motives so offensive. “What would happen to the pack if you died?”
Merrick glared at her and started pacing. His steps were stiff, almost ungainly, but it pleased her that he didn’t try to hide his injuries from her.
“If something happened to you, would the pack remain strong? Would they be able to fight or would the shifters scatter?”
She’d said too much. Merrick immediately stopped and turned toward her.
“Why do you ask?” He shook his head as if he knew he asked the wrong question. “What do you know?”
“Trouble’s brewing. You know it as well. Neither the vampires nor the witches are acting normal. Someone is setting the field as it were, trying to topple the shifter pack. If they got rid of you, the rest of the shifters would fall. All the protection you offer to other races would vanish with it.”
“And why do I have a feeling that you’re messed up in all of this?”
Chapter Thirteen
Victor entered the room, and Trina popped off the desk like a Jack-in-the-box. She was so grateful for the interruption that she could’ve kissed him. “Why is this vote so important?”
“We are not done.”
Trina was so sure that Merrick’s words were for her that she opened her mouth in protest. Only to see Victor bow his head, exposing his throat. She scr
atched her brow then whirled on Merrick. “Stop being an idiot. We have more pressing concerns.”
When he opened his mouth, she didn’t give him a chance to answer. “Like the vote.”
Trina turned toward Victor. “What are the dangers of losing?”
His lips pursed then he sighed as if he was being forced to spill the secrets of life itself. And maybe he was. She realized that she knew very little about pack business. Maybe that was on purpose.
“Your status would be reduced.”
That didn’t sound all that bad. Part of her was both relieved and disappointed to not be sharing a room with Merrick anymore. “What else?”
Both men shook their heads like she were the one who didn’t understand. “That means you would be the bottom to all shifters in the pack. You would have to earn your status.”
So why than did both men look so serious. Getting answers from them was like waiting for bacteria to grow. “So? And speak fast, we don’t have much time.”
“You would have to obey the rules of the pack. You would be expected to obey your betters.”
Okay, so the word obey sent her stomach churning. “Obey who?”
Victor was the one who answered now. “Anyone of higher rank.”
“Well, shit.” Not so good. “So if I stay, what would I receive in return for this virtual slavery?”
“Protection.” Both spoke at once, and she saw an odd sort of appeal to that. In her current predicament, protection sounded like a blessing. Almost.
“And you will not be leaving. You promised me two weeks, and I’m holding you to that.” Merrick lumbered closer as if to intimidate her into seeing things his way.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Victor spoke, but she wasn’t sure who he was asking, herself or Leo.
She peeked up at Merrick, and found herself captured by the bright, golden eyes of his beast, willing her to fight for them. She slowly nodded. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Fourteen
When Trina trailed away from him, Merrick turned on Victor and bared his fangs. This was all his fault. Victor had allowed Trina to enter a room full of shifters, well knowing the danger.
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